ZnO/GaN Heterostructure-based Novel Acousto-electronic Devices

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The objective of this research is to study the acousto-electrical interaction in ZnO/GaN heterostructures and develop the tunable devices which comprise of a piezoelectric ZnO layer and a polar semiconductor ZnO/GaN heterostructure. The approaches include: (i) grow the polar ZnO/GaN heterostructure on c-plane sapphire using MOCVD and control its polarity through interface engineering during the heteroepitaxy; and (ii) integrate a piezoelectric ZnO film with the semiconductor ZnO/GaN heterostructure to form novel ZnO/GaN acousto-electronic devices, study and simulate its characteristics, including dispersion and multi-mode surface acoustic wave properties, conduction band offset and sheet electron concentration by considering both spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations at the ZnO/GaN interface. Intellectual merit: The novel ZnO/GaN acousto-electronic device possesses advantages including high acoustic velocity and large electro-mechanical coupling coefficient over a broad frequency range, high operation frequency using higher order wave modes, large tunability at low biasing voltage, the ability to perform versatile functions, and low manufacturing cost. Broader impact: Integration of multifunctional ZnO with semiconductor GaN will promote a new level of material integration and devices technologies; therefore, open up new research opportunities and applications. The integration of research and education is an important focus of this project. The students will gain interdisciplinary knowledge base in material growth, interface physics, comprehensive characterizations, device design and simulation, and fabrication process. The research will be facilitated by strong collaboration with industrial partners. The educational outreach efforts are directed at NJ high school students, through the Governor's School, Rutgers Science Bus program, and special summer program.